The Return
by emma-spy
Summary: Years after the takedown of SD6, Syd and Vaughn have made a new life for themselves. What happens when the CIA wants them back?
1. A Happy Home

Rating: PG, but may become PG-13 later on.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Alias or any of its characters, I do not own Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and I do not own Spy Kids.  
  
Summary: Syd and Vaughn have a family now, but can they renounce their former lives for good? This fic is loosely based on a couple of themes from Spy Kids, but don't expect to see the kids fighting crime.  
  
Sydney gasped as a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her from behind. She deftly retaliated, spinning around and pinning her attacker to the wall.  
  
"Didn't they train you not to sneak up on an agent?" she said, her tone low and threatening.  
  
"Morning, Sweetheart," said Michael Vaughn, impishly giving her a peck on the lips. Sydney slowly let go and allowed him to pull her closer for a "real" good morning kiss. Seven years and she was still so deeply in love with him she couldn't think straight. Their kiss, which was quickly getting out of control, was interrupted when their 4-year-old daughter, Nina, bounced into the kitchen.  
  
"Morning, Mommy. Hi, Daddy," she said, green eyes sparkling.  
  
"Hey, Honey, why don't you go and wake up your sleepyhead brother?" Vaughn said, turning back to Sydney. "Now, where were we, Mrs. Vaughn?"  
  
Sydney giggled and slipped out of his grasp. She knew she had to stop their fun before it went any further. "Vaughn, I've got to get the kids breakfast and you're going to be late for work," she said as she swatted his hands away and headed to the refrigerator.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am. But, we're not finished…" he implied, letting his voice trail off suggestively and giving her a wink.  
  
"Of course not," she laughed. I How can he be so sexy all the time? /I she wondered as Nina walked into the kitchen, followed by 6-year-old Danny. "Hey kiddos, breakfast is on the table. Eat quickly, because we're already running late."  
  
"Okay Mama," they replied as Sydney kissed Nina and ruffled Danny's hair.  
  
Sydney watched her two children in awe. She could never get over the miracle of them. They were so beautiful. Her little Nina, with chin- length blonde hair looked just like Vaughn and acted like him, too: always calm and levelheaded. And Danny. Sydney still couldn't believe that Vaughn had suggested they name him Daniel, after her first fiance, Danny, who had been killed by SD-6. Danny looked exactly like her, with brown hair that hung in his dark brown eyes. Danny was so smart and a bit too mischievous. Eight years ago, Sydney would never have dreamed she would have children; she never even saw them as a possibility. But Vaughn had made it all possible; he seemed to know her wants and needs before she even realized them. As her thoughts shifted to Vaughn, Sydney glanced at him across the table. He was eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch and was deep in a discussion of hockey with Danny. From the look in his eyes, she could tell how much he loved their children. For what seemed like the millionth time, she thanked God that Michael Vaughn had came into her life; she shuddered to think of her life without him or Danny and Nina. Vaughn caught her staring and nudged her foot with his, bringing her out of her reverie. She grinned at him and mouthed, "I love you," before getting up to help Nina wash her hands.  
  
"Syd, I got to go," he said, lightly kissing her and smoothing her hair. "I'll see you this evening and I'll bring home Chinese. Oh, and don't forget, we have an affair to settle tonight," he whispered.  
  
"You bet," she whispered back.  
  
"Okay, guys, I'll see you later. Have a good day at school and don't get into too much trouble," he said, kissing Danny and Nina.  
  
After Vaughn left, Sydney took the kids to school and returned home. The big house felt so empty without her family. After she and Vaughn moved to New England, she made a career out of writing espionage suspense novels, and while her work was widely successful, she sensed the need for a change. When Danny and Nina were born, she wanted to be at home as much as possible; she was determined to be a better parent than either of hers had been. But now Danny and Nina were both in school, and didn't need her as much as before. When she could barely find time to write, stories poured out of her faster than she could type; now that she had free time, she found herself suffering from writer's block and watching TV all day.  
  
I Yes, /I she confirmed, I it's definitely time for a change. /I But what could she do? Her only real job had been as a double agent, so she had no idea what field would suit her. Sure, she had her literature degree, but did she really want to teach? Sydney decided to keep considering her options and maybe even visit an employment counselor to help her.  
  
That afternoon, Sydney picked up Nina from pre-school. Danny was going home with a friend, so she had the afternoon with her daughter. The minute Nina got into the car, Sydney knew something was wrong. Nina wouldn't meet her gaze, and her green eyes looked like they were about to overflow with tears.  
  
"Nina, baby, what's wrong?" Sydney asked, lifting Nina's chin to make her look at her.  
  
"I did something bad, Mommy," Nina said, her voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"Okay, Honey, why don't we go to the park and talk about it?" Sydney drove to the park, wondering what could have made her little girl so upset.  
  
When they reached the park, Sydney sat down under a tree with Nina in her lap. "All right, baby, just start at the beginning and tell me what happened."  
  
Nina took a deep breath. "Well, it was recess, and I was playing by the jungle gym. Jason came over and said he was going to kiss me. I said no, but he tried to anyway. So, I…" Nina started crying and Sydney pulled her closer for reassurance. "Well, I kind of hit him…and kicked him…and now he has bruises. I had to sit in time-out, and the teacher sent a note to you and Daddy," with that Nina buried her face in Sydney's chest and cried wholeheartedly.  
  
Sydney was not sure what to do. How could she be mad? A part of her was proud of her little girl; turns out she had her mother's temper after all (and possibly her fighting skills). Sydney knew she couldn't encourage her violent behavior, though.  
  
"Well, it sound like you had a rough day, huh? Okay, Sweetie, I'm not angry with you, and I am proud of you for standing up for yourself, but the next time someone messes with you, go and tell a teacher, or me and Daddy, okay?" Nina nodded. "If, and only if, there's no adults around, and you really could get hurt, then you may fight. But don't start fights." Sydney was unsure if she had explained that right, but she hoped so. She didn't want her little girl not to defend herself, but she also didn't want a bunch of angry parents with hurt children calling her. She continued, "You seem to pack quite a punch, Nina. Maybe we should sign you up for karate."  
  
Nina instantly brightened. "Could we, Mama?"  
  
"Sure. I'll talk to Daddy about it. Now let's go get some ice cream!" she said, and swung Nina onto her back. She couldn't wait to tell Vaughn about their little fighter.  
  
  
  
A/N: Thank you for reading! I know this was kind of fluffy and very shipper-y, but please continue. After the first two chapters, the adventure part will start to come in. Also, I know I didn't really explain how Sydney and Vaughn got to this stage of their lives, but I'm considering doing a prequel, so I thought I'd leave it hanging. Please review, whether you like it or not. All I ask is that you do not flame…if you dislike my fic, then please give me some constructive criticism. Emma 


	2. A Happy Home Part 2

Rating: PG, but may become PG-13 later on.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Alias or any of its characters, and I do not own Spy Kids.  
  
Summary: Syd and Vaughn have a family now, but can they renounce their former lives for good? This fic is loosely based on a couple of themes from Spy Kids, but don't expect to see the kids fighting crime.  
  
  
  
  
  
Vaughn walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He'd been teaching at the university for almost seven years, and it was beginning to get to him. He liked his job well enough; it was just somewhat monotonous compared to his previous career.  
  
He smiled as he looked at the picture of Sydney and his kids sitting on his desk. He had taken the picture almost a year ago. He had placed Sydney on the steps leading up to their house, with Danny in her lap. He told Nina to wait and then she could take her picture with Sydney, just as he was about to snap the picture, Nina had jumped on Sydney's back, and he took the picture anyway. In the picture, Sydney and Danny looked at Nina, laughing, while Nina grinned at the camera. Now the picture was his absolute favorite. His children looked so happy and full of life, and Sydney, well…Sydney was radiant.  
  
Vaughn had been attracted Sydney from almost the moment he met her. He wasn't sure when, but somewhere during the danger, the late-night meetings, and the select special operations he go to join her on, that attraction had turned to love. Once he realized that love, he was even more bent on taking down SD-6. The wedding consisted of a simple ceremony with close family and friends, and then the two of them packed up and headed east, looking for a new life. Sydney was two months pregnant at the time. The moment they saw the pale yellow house with white trim located on the coast, they knew it was made for them. Vaughn had loved the way Syd's eyes lit up when she first saw it and knew he'd do anything in his power to make it her. A few months after they were settled, they found out they were having a boy. Sydney rushed out and bought blue paint for the nursery. They were both so excited to be having a child together. And Vaughn knew the perfect name…  
  
1 Flashback-7 years ago  
  
Sydney is sitting on the back deck, flipping through a pregnancy magazine and sipping lemonade. Vaughn walks out and sits next to her.  
  
"Hey, you," she smiled, leaning over to kiss him. "How was work?"  
  
"Fine," he said. "Syd, we need to talk."  
  
"Okay, what is it?" her eyes showed concern at his grave demeanor.  
  
"Well, I was thinking about a name for the baby. And if it's okay with you, I think we should name him Daniel," Vaughn was unsure of her reaction.  
  
"Really?" she said, her eyes filling with tears as he nodded.  
  
"Yeah," he said, "I figured it would be a nice way to remember Danny. If it wasn't for him, we would have never met."  
  
"I know," she said, the tears finally spilling over. Vaughn knew that Sydney still missed Danny, but he also knew that she'd moved on. "Well, then I insist that his middle name be William after your father."  
  
"Wow, Syd I thought you'd want it to be Jack."  
  
"Nah, we can use Jack for our next one," she laughed.  
  
"So, you're already planning the next one?" he said, tickling her.  
  
She laughed. "Maybe."  
  
He hugged her. "I love you, Syd."  
  
"I love you, too, Vaughn."  
  
End of flashback.  
  
  
  
Vaughn laughed. After all these years, she still called him Vaughn. He'd once requested that she call him "Michael," and she'd tried it once or twice, but eventually reverted back to "Vaughn," saying it seemed more natural. He hadn't minded. Sydney didn't make his last name seem impersonal like it would with anyone else. Truth be told, he preferred her calling him Vaughn, whether she was asking him to take out the trash or screaming it with passion in their bedroom. Vaughn knew she always said it with love.  
  
  
  
That evening, Vaughn entered the house, take-out in hand. "I'm home!" he called. "Syd? Danny? Nina?" When no one answered, he knew they must be outside, so he put the food in the refrigerator and ran upstairs to change. He went out the back door, and sure enough, Sydney and the kids were down on the sand, playing tag. He watched as Danny tagged Sydney. He couldn't hear her over the sound of the ocean, but could tell she was laughing. She picked up Danny and swung him around.  
  
Vaughn ran down the steps and onto the sand. Nina was the first to see him. "Daddy!" she squealed and ran to jump into his arms. He hugged her, and then flipped her upside down as he set her back on the ground. After hugging Danny and kissing Sydney, Vaughn joined their game of tag, which soon turned into an all-out war.  
  
Later that night, Vaughn stood at Nina's bedroom door while Sydney read the kids their bedtime story. They were both piled onto her lap, listening to her with rapt attention. Sydney made the story into a performance, doing a different voice for each character and building the tension at scary moments.  
  
When the story was finished, he took Danny to tuck him in, while Sydney tucking in Nina. By the time they reached his room, Danny was already asleep.  
  
"Good night, son," Vaughn said, kissing him and brushing his brown hair out of his eyes. He couldn't get over how much he looked like Sydney, especially when he slept.  
  
Vaughn was sitting in the living room when Sydney passed through, on her way to the kitchen. He grabbed her hand, startling her, and pulled her into his lap.  
  
"Hey," she smiled, eyes sparkling.  
  
"Hi," he said, kissing her.  
  
"Mmm, Vaughn, wait," she pulled back. "I have to tell you something."  
  
"Okay, go ahead," he said, rubbing her back lightly.  
  
"Well, Nina got in trouble today."  
  
"Nina?" Vaughn was shocked. It was usually Danny who got in trouble.  
  
"Yeah, I know. You'll never guess what she did."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She beat up some little boy who tried to kiss her."  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"No! She even gave him bruises."  
  
"'Atta girl," he chuckled. "So what did you do?"  
  
"I told her fighting was wrong. But, Vaughn, I have to admit, I'm kind of proud of her."  
  
"Yeah, me, too. It looks like she's got a bit of your temper, huh?" he said, poking her.  
  
"Very funny. Anyway, I told her we'd think about signing her up for karate. What do you think?"  
  
"I think that's a great idea. Maybe in a few years she'll be ready to join the CIA," he joked.  
  
"Oh, you think that's funny, huh? Well, Agent Vaughn, you're going to pay for that!"  
  
"Oh really? How?"  
  
"You'll see!" she laughed as he picked her up and carried her upstairs.  
  
  
  
The phone woke Sydney at five the next morning. She grabbed it quickly before it woke up Vaughn and the kids.  
  
"Hello?" (pause) "Yeah." (pause) "What?" (pause) "Okay, I'll meet you at the harbor in ten minutes."  
  
As she got out of bed Vaughn woke. "Syd? Who was that?"  
  
"No one, Honey. Go back to sleep. I'm going to go for a run." She kissed his cheek as he drifted back to sleep, and then quietly got dressed and left the house.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED…  
  
  
  
A/n: Well, thanks for making it this far. And thanks to all of you for the wonderful reviews. Once again, please do not flame me, just help. This was my last really fluffy piece for a while…action/adventure is soon to come! Possibly even some angst, but I'm not sure about that yet. Sorry about giving Syd a boring job, but I did have a reason. And besides, isn't it insanely ironic? See you on chapter 3! Emma. 


End file.
